


Iä! Iä! From the Deep, It Rises!

by DT Maxwell (Draya)



Series: Our Blades Are Sharp [35]
Category: Star Wars: The Old Republic
Genre: Archaeology, Arkanis Research and Consultation, Gen, Phae is having A Bad Day, Phae's new private archaeology company gets up to the same ridiculousness as RecServ did, Sea Monsters, Sith Shenanigans, of the Indiana Jones persuasion anyway, so she has no one to blame but herself, which is par for the course in her line of work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-24
Updated: 2016-01-24
Packaged: 2018-05-16 00:45:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5806759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Draya/pseuds/DT%20Maxwell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five years ago, when Zakuul tore through the Imperial and Republic fleets like wet flimsi and the Dark Council collapsed from infighting among its surviving members, Darth Makhaira made an executive decision: she packed up her daughters, gathered the loyal Sphere and RecServ minions, and buggered off to the Outer Rim. Being an independent contractor and consultant without having to worry about the niceties of Sith and Imperial politics ended up being much more to her liking.</p><p>...There's some things about the job that never change, though.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Iä! Iä! From the Deep, It Rises!

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to my tumblr on January 19, 2016. Vero Aurek has previously appeared in [Genre Savvy](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1979193).
> 
> The Serexiths mentioned herein are the original characters that belong to tumblr users [exvind](http://exvind.tumblr.com/) and [infiniteprobabilities](http://infiniteprobabilities.tumblr.com/). They are fab people, and their characters are terrifying.
> 
> I regret absolutely nothing.

There was a goddamn sea monster guarding the tomb.

A _sea monster._ One straight out of a Force-damned holodrama.

It was _enormous,_ and had too many tentacles to count. And teeth, and scales, and tentacles, and gills, and did she mention the tentacles? Because there were a lot of them. Also teeth. And screeching, gnashing maws on each gods-be-damned tentacle. Sweet Force, it looked like the nightmarish offspring of something the Sphere of Biotic Science’s own alchemy division would breed - and then run screaming from when it inevitably broke out and started eating apprentices. Nine _hells,_ how was that fucking thing at all a product of nature?

Fuck the thirteenth Greater Princess of Vo’dalar for building her mausoleum into an eroding cliff face near Ithiltar’s southern pole two thousand years ago. Fuck the fourteenth Greater Princess of Vo'dalar for going overboard with her mother's grave guardians. Fuck the University of Vo’dalar and the Ithiltari planetary government for deciding to hire out the excavation of the tomb to independent contractors. And fuck _herself_ for accepting said fucking contract in the first place.

Tryphaena Renatus, overlooking the cove from the top of the aforementioned eroding cliffs, buried her face in her hands as the monster continued thrashing, numerous screaming archaeologists and interns clutched in its limbs. “How the fuck is this my life?” she said.

Vero Aurek, formerly Captain of the Imperial Reclamation Service, now Chief Project Manager for Arkanis Research and Consultation, was grinning like a lunatic beside her. “Aw, boss, come on,” he said. “We haven’t had a challenge like this since the Navatorre dig three years ago!”

Phae groaned, loudly, without looking up.

Aurek cocked his head to the side. “Do you think it’s a Serexith cousin?”

Phae made a strangled noise in the back of her throat and dropped her hands from her face, but only so she could ball one up into a fist and slug him in the shoulder with it. “Don’t you _dare_ invoke them, Aurek, they might actually _show up,_ ” she hissed.

He pursed his lips together. “…Point,” he finally said, shuddering slightly. He looked back down at the writhing sea monster. “Huh. It’s not actually _killing_ anyone, that’s new, and should keep the therapy bills down." Aurek made a pleased noise, then said after a moment, "Anyway, best two out of three?”

“Force help me, fine.”

They raised their closed fists and swung them down four times, counting as they did. After the third count, Aurek threw flimsi, Phae threw knife.

They repeated it: Aurek threw knife, Phae threw flimsi.

And once more: Aurek threw stone, Phae threw knife.

Aurek snorted, more in amusement than disgust. “Cheating to _lose,_ madam? How cute.”

“I am not cute, I am deadly,” Phae said, completely deadpan, although a small smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth. She unclipped her saberstaff from her belt. “You can’t prove a damn thing, either, even if it does give me an excuse to stab something.”

“Sea monster for dinner, excellent!”

“Shut up, Aurek.”

Aurek mimed zipping his mouth closed, although the enormous grin remained in place. (Deserting had done wonders for the man's sense of humor.)

The former darth walked backwards for fifteen paces, and once she came to a halt, ignited one end of her ‘saber. She paused for five heartbeats, eyes closed and breathing slowly as she rose up on the balls of her feet. The Force purred deep in her bones, her mind, her heart, and Phae felt the familiar, eerie sort of peaceful anticipation settle over herself. She opened her eyes -

\- and exploded into motion, charging forward at full speed, lightsaber singing in hand, and took a running leap over the edge of the cliff.

If there was one thing being a Sith had taught Phae about problem-solving, it was that death and dismemberment were _always_ valid options.

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfic pretty much exists because of the mental image of Phae and Aurek playing roshambo to determine who gets to deal with the giant sea monster wrecking havoc on their dig. (If Aurek had won, he would have taken the thing out with a combination of a long-range, high-powered sniper rifle, and a goddamn rocket launcher, because ARC, like RecServ before it, is fucking well aware of the shit that lives in tombs in this galaxy and plans for it.)


End file.
